Powdery Mildew Attacks Florida Gardens!
- Leah Brooks
- Jun 17
- 3 min read
It's June, and my Facebook group is filled with people saying, "Help! My squash looks like it's dying!" In nearly every case, the culprit is powdery mildew. It attacks every spring, and often in fall! The University of Florida says powdery mildew is a "serious fungal disease"...and we would have to agree!
Control is possible!
Powdery mildew can be controlled in many ways! And because fungi adapt, you want to use several methods.
1) Buy powdery mildew-resistant seeds (like Desert Zucchini)
2) Remember PM loves heat + humidity + darkness. It thrives overnight. Don't wet your plants at night!
3) Neem oil coats the leaves, preventing powdery mildew from attaching.
4) Adjust the pH of the plant leaf to make the leaf inhospitable to PM. Baking soda, mouthwash, and MilStop are tried and true methods.
5) Spray dairy milk weekly in full sun.
The Secret Sauce!
Powdery mildew is more prevalent in spring and fall. I usually first find it in my Florida garden in late April. This is a great time to start spraying my "Secret Sauce!"
How does it work? The Neem protects new leaves from being affected. The baking soda changes the pH of the leaf, making it inhospitable to powdery mildew.
Cold-pressed Neem oil mixed with Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds works well to keep bugs, powdery mildew, and diseases under control in the garden.
Directions:
🎋STEP 1: In a glass jar or shaker bottle, mix the following with about 1 c. warm water: ½ Tablespoon Cold Pressed Neem ½Tablespoon of Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds, and 1/2 Tablespoon of baking soda.
OPTIONAL: ½ Tablespoon of BT if caterpillars, pickleworms or armyworms are present. SHAKE WELL.
🎋STEP 2: Add the mixture to a 1L sprayer and fill up the sprayer the rest of the way with water.
🎋STEP 3: Spray the plants well in the evening, thoroughly coating the plants.
🎋STEP 4: Rinse the plants off in the morning with a hose.
This process suffocates soft-bodied insects
Disrupts insect breeding cycle if used weekly; it
coats leaves, prevents fungi, &
confuses insects with essential oils!
Neem & Soap TIPS
In high humidity (>65%) high temps (>90F), spray at night & rinse in the morning.
Never spray when the sun is up. Always spray near sundown or at night.
Use COLD PRESSED Neem. Cold pressed has active ingredients.
It is very important to emulsify the Neem with soap.
Spray in the evening after beneficial bugs have gone to bed.
Neem works by suffocating soft-bodied insects, fungi, and insects that eat your plants by disrupting their hormones. It works best on soft-bodied insects but will work on all insects if you spray regularly.
Watch this video for more information on this pest control method
What else works?
Dairy milk is a natural fungicide that works well if sprayed in full sun! It works great if sprayed regularly as a preventative on sensitive plants, like zucchini or squash, during 'wet' months.
FLUID MILK RATIO: Mix 1 part milk to 8 parts water. Any milk will work, skin, whole, etc.
DRY MILK RATIO: Mix 1/2 oz. Dry milk (about 1 rounded Tablespoon) + 1 quart or 1 L of water.
Spray during the heat of the day in FULL SUN. Repeat every three days or so.
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